Lauren Harkness: Child of Darkness
by Batkid1
Summary: set between/before/after Children of Earth, based off of dream I had. A teenage girl lays in a mental hospital, conviced she is not crazy. Little does she know she is to help bring Captain Jack, her father back to earth. Please Read and Review!
1. April 1st

**April 1****st****, 2010**

**Memphis, Tennessee**

Dr. Wallace Cole walked down the hallway of Our Lady of Mercy Mental Hospital. Her file he carried in his arms, trying to make sense of it all. He ran a hand thru his salt and pepper hair, nervous but trying not to show it.

"When was the last time her family visited her?" He asked the nurse, a middle age lady who had been there longer than the head of the hospital himself, who was helping leading him to Her room.

"I remember, it was the 12th of January. This year. Poor thing. Her mother and her got into such a shouting match at each other. Her mother tried to put her on a lot more drugs, but that's when Doctor Dormuret-

"Shouting match? Over what?"

The nurse stopped, whispered quickly "The Father. Apparently her mother had thought that her daughter was the child of her and her husband. However the DNA test came back negative and now the marriage is in shambles."

The nurse quickly made the sign of the cross and begins walking again, her white heels **click-click** clicking down the hallway.

Dr. Cole shook his head and begin walking again.

As he walked, he began going over mentally what and how he got attached to this case:

Five months. Five months before his son Stephan would graduate from Penn State. Five months and he would retire, to Cape Cod summers, and his five cats. Probably would write a book. His brother was a publisher in Boston. Needed to give him a call.

Then one day, he walks into his office, a file on his desk. He reads it over,

And now, instead of going to Italy with Stephan, he was here. In god knows where middle of nowhere to talk with a teenage girl who probably suffered from daddy issues.

They reached the section of the hospital where a big sign said "UNCUREABLE SECTION. NO ONE BUT STAFF AND DIRECT FAMILY [APRROVED BY DR. DOMURET] ALLOWED."

Dr. Cole squinted, having left his reading glasses in the car, to make out what the sign said.

He made a mental note 'no hope for cure for her'.

The nurse quietly pulled out a card muttered 'be just a second' and disappeared into a separate room.

Cole sat down on a hard mental bench. Visiting hours had started less than an hour ago and no one was here. He sighed and opened up her file again.

_July 2009. One night, the Brennan family got into a taxi to go out to dinner while visiting the father's sister in NYC. The only girl, Lauren, gets out of the taxi after hearing the 456 terrorist group on the radio. She disappears for three days, when she calls from a London jail cell, having been arrested during the insuring riots that followed after the 456 gassed the Thames House._

_Between August-November she 'ran away' more than six times, disappearing for at least three-four days at a time, the longest was at least 2 weeks. She kept claiming she was helping out an organization or a doctor of something. She refused to name who she was helping, claming if she told she would be 'putting the entire earth in danger.' Her mother sent her to Millwood Hospital first, followed by two other hospitals in the DFW area. Finally her mother sent her to Our Lady of Mercy hospital in early December of 2009. Apparently she had been given a clean bill of health at all the other hospitals, however her mother kept insisting that she was 'mentally unbalance'. However around February 12__th__-14__th__ her older brother Sam checked her out-_

"Her brother Sam died at the age of 16 in 2006."

Dr. Cole looked up.

There the Nurse stood there, looking at him.

"What?"

"Her Brother-"

"I know what you said, yet this-"

The nurse walked over to Dr. Cole and whispered:

"Do you realize what you've gotten yourself into, Doctor?"

She walked back, and pressed a big red button. That caused the huge metal doors to open as an alarm went off.

Dr. Cole walked up to the Nurse.

"Nurse-"

"Helen Hill. My name, doctor."

"Yes. Forgive me for not asking earlier. How did her brother die?"

"Liver cancer. Not everyone can afford treatment Doctor. Now, time you meet our special-"

"One more question."

".... Yes?"

"Why did she end up here?"

Nurse Hill pointed straight ahead. Cole turned.

There stood a 5-foot tall gratin statue of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary stood surrounded by flowers, and several people knelt praying in front of the statue. Cole felt stupid for not noticing it earlier.

"Damn." He said.

Nurse Hill nodded, then motioned for him to follow her.

As they disappear down the hallway, a person wearing a dark hoodie turned ever so slightly, as not to draw attention from the other people deep in prayer, reveling a hazel brown eye.

_I'm coming for you Lauren,_ she thought. _Even if it kills me._

With every single step that he took, Cole felt like his heart was slowly moving up his throat, for he could feel it in his throat.

He could hear the screams of electroshock, the 'I'm not insane!' cries, the silent whimpering of the patients.

Nurse Hill did not say anything, she just kept walking.

After what seemed forever, they reached the door called Patient #1692.

Nurse Hill unlocked the door and motioned for him to wait. She walked in and closed the door; the brief sound of The Phantom of the Opera flew out.

After a few seconds, she walked out.

"I heard music. Playing. Isn't music banned-" Cole stuttered out.

"She's special. Family orders."

She began to walk away calling "she's all yours now doctor."

Cole sighed, and opened the door.

The room was bare, saved a bed in the corner. Everything was white. The walls, the carpet, the tiny chair in the corner. Even the bed frame. The only thing was colored in the room (save for Cole) was a poster of the phantom of the opera movie.

There, lying in the bed, was a small girl, her back to him

Hard to believe she's 18.

"Lauren?" Cole asked so gently.

The figure wore a white robe, white pajama pants, and white socks with white slippers.

She did not respond.

"My name is Doctor Wallace Cole. You may call me Doctor-"

"I already know a Doctor. He'll come and get me. He'll save me."

"Doctor who?"

The figure turned quickly. Her messy black hair covered her face. She looked at Cole.

"That's the thing. He refers himself as the doctor. Everybody calls him the doctor. But he has a name. If he didn't have a name, he couldn't be a doctor. It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"...No.."

"Exactly. That's what I thought the first time I met him. But I learned my lesson."

Cole looked at her with doubt. He sat down in the chair. Lauren looked at him seriously.

"You're not one of them. I can tell because you don't have a metal heart checker...thing. Also you wear...colors.," she said, sounding proud of herself.

Cole quietly pointed to the visitors badge on his jacket. Lauren's smile quickly faded.

"Oh. No matter. The doctor would have been proud of me for the first couple of things."

Cole opened her file and quickly went through it. She had been seen by at least 9 other psychologists. All but one of them have written her off as, 'possible bipolar' and diagnosed her with 'undiagnosed depressions well.' Only one, who saw her at least two weeks ago, diagnosed her as ''most definitely suffering from schizoaffective disorder.'

That came straight from the head himself.

Cole spoke:

"Tell me your story Lauren. I'm here to help you."

Lauren scoffed. "That's what they all say."

"Dead older brothers don't check out younger sisters out of the crazy farm on, let us say, a whim?"

Lauren did not say anything. She just sighed heavily over and over again.

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you."

JULY 2009

Lauren quickly ran down the streets of New York. She ignored all the horns honking and the yells of "move it, kid!' from the angry drivers behind her.

As she passed Time Square the news played the same image over and over again, of the huge 'cloud' over London.

The rain poured down over her but she didn't care.

She needed to find a safe place. To think over everything that just happened. But no. She had to make that call.

The entire world rested on her shoulder.

_God what a load!_

And there it was.

A telephone booth. She ran up to it, pushing some unlucky person out of the way. She closed the door behind her and turned to face the phone.

Her heart was pounding. Her palms sweaty.

She looked in her pockets for change.

'Come on, come on, come on." She muttered franticly.

She breathes a silent prayer of relief when she found change. She inserted the change quickly.

She dialed the number. How she knew this number, she didn't know. She relayed solely on the number she had gotten from the flash.

She inserted more change, when she realized it was going to be overseas.

"Please, let it work, please. Please." She begged.

She was dreading the fact that someone was going to pick up, she hated talking on the phone, she also dreaded if someone who was not her required caller answered, how was she going to explain _'oh, yeah. I just was trying to dial someone who I've never met that works for a-_

"Hello? Who is this? Hello?"

His songbird voice rang through her ears.

_He's just how I thought he would sound like._

She bit her lip and thought _'yes! It's him!'_

"Hello? Do you think this is-"?

"Captain Jack! Jack Harkness, is it?" she asked. God I must sound stupid.

".... Who the hell is this, how did you get this number!"

"Please Sir, I mean Jack. Look, I know this sound stupid. I know I must sound like a blubbering idiot for calling you, but-but-"

"Listen, kid. I don't know who you think you are but there is a spaceship hovering over-"

"I know! I saw the news! I-"

"Listen, I would love to-"

"I know crucial information on the 456! I know why they're here! I know! Don't hang up, I had like this vision when I was in the taxicab with my family and I heard them on the radio! God! I know...I know! God, that sounds really stupid."

She heard him sigh.

"Where are you, I need to know your location ASAP."

"I'm in New York. In a little phone booth like two blocks away from Times Square."

"Okay. Stay there. I'll try to get to you as quick as-"

"Jack, before you go... I have to tell you something."

"What?"

_Bad tone, not the bad tone. Oh god that's the worse_

She sighed and slowly breathed out.

"I think...I know. Well,"

"Yes?"

"There's something you should know, before I tell you all about the 456. I'm...I'm your daughter."

A chill ran up her back, knowing that the truth, that she had just told was out.

She could tell he was dumbfounded, he was about to respond. Lauren closed her eyes, waiting for the news.

_Oh god, here it comes-_

_Your five minutes are up. Please insert 50 cents if you would like to continue your call. Thank you._


	2. July 3rd

**July 3****rd****.**

**SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS**

Sallyanne Jenkins sat at the kitchen table, drinking the morning coffee. Of course she had only had two sips of it, and was currently wondering whether or not to pour it out, because in all her worrying, she had complete forgotten about the coffee, and she had once again let it go cold.

Of course, she had never really wondered why she still kept drinking coffee after all these years.

She had lost the taste for it after Sam was born. She figured it was because, well, she was in her early 30's by then, and then the Fort Worth Coffeehouse indie scene with open mike Fridays and the acid washed jeans...

She guessed... it was getting tiresome for her. After dealing with the baby, she was too tired to meet with her friends...instead, of coffee and cigarettes with Susana and Jeff _(her ex that became more like a brother to her over the years) _it was more of a bottle of wine and X-Files with the husband... if he ever came home...

She sighed and got up and went to the sink.

As she poured the coffee down the sink, she thought that maybe she should go into town, and get her hair done...even though it had been worked on in the last 48 hours...

Maybe her nails...

She looked at her nails.

The fakieness of the freshly done nails reminded her it hadn't even been 24 hours since they were worked on...

She sighed and placed the empty coffee cup in the dishwasher, reminding herself that she should probably unload it.

She didn't feel the need for food, so she placed the remaining parts of the toast into Lady Di's dish.

The pit-bull just sneezed and begin to snore again.

She tighten the wrap around her robe and begin to walk up the stairs, thinking a shower would do her good.

As she walked up stairs, she passed by Lauren's room. She always paused by her room. Mainly because the sounds of her screaming as the nurses took her away always haunted her now a days.

She decided to give Matt, the youngest, a few more hours of sleep.

Matt was somewhat planned. That she was sure of.

Sam was very much planned, and Lauren well...

She walked into her bedroom, determined to rid of these 'negative energies' as Pastor Adam called it.

She found the little transit radio and turned it on.

Country Music _(her favorite, behind Motown) _began blaring her master bedroom.

She hummed the familiar tune of the wife and husband who got drunk and came home and place the gun to their own temp-

That's when she heard it again.

**VRUME. VRUME. VRUME. VRUME**

"Oh's heck's no!" she muttered. She grabbed the Chanel purse with the pistol hidden in it and ran to the door, dropping the purse and carrying the gun with her.

She checked the gun, made sure it was ready, and then she opened the door.

And there he stood.

"You have caused me a lot of trouble these past few months mister." She snarled at him. "May God have mercy on your poor little-"

BAM!

The gun went off.

* * *

**AUGUST 2009**

**ARLINGTON, TEXAS.**

Lauren quietly lay in her bed. The windows were open, adding some relief to the very hot room, but even pushing the heavy covers down didn't do anything.

She hadn't been able to sleep since the jail cell. She still remembered the feel of the hard floor she was forced to sit on, waiting for someone to bail her out. She was there for three days.

_Longest days of my life. _She thought.

In the jail cell, she couldn't wait for school to start. So that she could back to normal. To be normal again was all she ever wanted.

_Why didn't they detain me? Keep me afterwords? Wouldn't they do that normally?_

**We cut a deal with them. You were free to go. **Said the singsong voice.

She jumped up. She was quite surprised that there was an answer for once for her questions. But she recognized that voice anywhere.

_What are you doing here? In my head? What?_

**This is the only way I can communicate with you. Lauren, Gwen says hi.**

_Okay...?_

** Listen, we need you to do something for us?**

_Um, I don't know what time it is there, but its __1__ in the morning here..._

**Listen, just follow my directions.**

_Um, okay..._

She got up, walked into her closet, grabbed a few pieces of clothing and closed the door.

**What are you doing! Is that a-?**

_Um, I have a feeling this is something extreme. I'm not going to be found on the side of the road with a transmitter radio wearing superman shorts and an oversized football jersey._

**-Sigh- Make it quick then**

Lauren smiled as she pulled off the-

Next thing she knew, she was driving Matt's truck down 360 in the middle of the night. Not a lot of traffic, but still...

_Okay where am I –_

**STOP! STOP!**

She slammed on the brakes as fast as she could.

She heard the screeching of the tires, the truck almost making a 360 and then the final jolt of gravity as it finally came to a stop.

For several seconds, all she could see was smoke and she could only her heart racing and her heavy breathing as well.

She struggled to catch her breath as she heard a knock knock

She turned to her left.

There he was,

The Captain in all his glory. Wearing the same clothes _(clean however, this time) _and without the three day stench of body odor as well

_You look...different then I remember. _She thought. Confused as to why he was here.

"That's because I was under bad lighting then."

He opened the door, and released her seat belt for her.

"We have 3 minutes before the next car comes and crashes into here. Lets go."

He helped her out of the car and they began to run.


	3. Today

**March 2010**

**BOSTON**

A woman with curly blonde hair and blue eyes intently walked down the private practice hallway of Dr. Cole's office. She quietly adjusted the white coat she had just stolen from the young female intern.

She pulled it over her black dinner dress and adjusted her walk so that anyone who passed by her didn't know she was totally out of place. She felt sad for that little female intern though. Having to wake up in the janitors closet with an outfit like that-

She reached room 3423

**WALLACE COLE, PSYCHOANALYST.**

The door read.

She thought to herself how lucky it was all the cameras in the building 'just happened' to be down today.

She took out the key _(which she had stolen from the janitor earlier) _

"I love these peoples. They have no idea what they're up against." She said, smiling happy to herself.

CLICK-CLUNK

The door opened, she quietly let herself in.

"I wonder why it's almost nine and he isn't in yet. I thought all doctors were on a 24/7 notice," she pondered aloud to herself as she saw the office.

"_Well, maybe my doctor... I wonder if he's regenerated yet?"_ she purred...

She walked over to the desk, placed the file she had been carrying with her all this time.

"Poor Lauren. I hope she gets better..." she said, knowing full well the answer.

She walked back to the door, and closed it, hearing it lock up again.

She tore off the white coat and threw it in a small hall closet where nobody would find it.

At least for another week or so...

When she got to the door, a security guard stopped her.

She almost killed him on the spot, but decided to hear him out

"Pardon me ma'm, but have you seen a Middle age woman by the name of Ri-"

_** Middle age? MIDDLE AGE!**_

"No." she said firmly.

She pushed him aside and walked out of the building.

Her mission was done.

Now she guessed it was time to see her 'Doctor' again...

* * *

**JULY 3rd 2010**

**SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS**

Sallyanne awoke on her couch. Her head was throbbing, but she had no glass of brandy anywhere. She moaned and rubbed her head

"I got the bullet out. Thanks for asking."

She looked up.

Her beloved Princess Di sat, panting, on HIS lap. All she wanted to do was strangle him. But her head felt SO heavy...

She looked up.

His blue eyes and brown spiky hair stared right at her.

"You... I thought you were dead..." she growled at him.

He laughed.

"I'm just lucky like that. But that's not the point.

"Explain."

"What's with the bad mood. Somebody hasn't had their morning coffee today... The other day a little bird tells me our DAUGHTER is currently residing in a crazy house in Memphis Tennessee." He murmur as he petted Di, who loved the attention.

"You know that isn't true. She's not crazy." He said, rubbing Di on the bottom of her chin.

Sallyanne pushed herself up allowing full eye contact now.

"I don't believe that. You did something to her. I know that for sure."

He didn't say anything. He just kept petting the dog.

"Your youngest is 16, right?"

Silence from her end.

"Listen lady, I'll get right to the point. I'm expecting much. I just want to know where our daughter is."

"You are not getting anything out of me."

He quietly helped Princess Di off of his lap. He stood up and walked into the kitchen, where he grabbed himself some of the brownies she had made the day before. He took one bite, then wrapped up a few and stuffed them in his pocket.

He walked over to Sallyanne

"You don't remember any of our time together, do you?"

"What time!" she panicked.

He laughed. "I'm just messing with you. We only spent 30 minutes together. Don't you remember? The smell of beer, fish and chips? The football maniacs screaming theirs heads off as Liverpool won another match?"

"What?"

He leaned in and whispered

"You don't even remember crawling into that empty V.I.P room with the disco ball?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about..."

He kissed her forehead.

"See ya in a bit darling. Nice seeing you again."

She didn't know why, but when he kissed her, she almost started crying.

He stood down and petted Di, who cried at seeing him go.

She saw him walk out the door.

For the next 15 minutes or so, Sallyanne struggled internally over the man that was apparently the father of her only daughter.

She had sometimes dreamt of a man just like him coming into the house when her husband was at work and climbing into bed, whispering all the right things to her as she tried to fall asleep.

But she had always assumed that was a common fantasy of a normal housewife like herself. Very common.

She did recall a very groggy memory of going out to a pub with her sister on her 27th birthday 18 years ago. She remembers a man who looked just like him, sitting there at the pub. She remembers doing something that somehow, made it one of the best nights of her life...

But that wasn't real, was it?

No, she told herself. That was just a dream.

With that, Sallyanne walked upstairs, covering the tears up and knocked on Matt's door.

"Rise and Shine darling! The church's functions at 4 we need to start getting ready!"

**TODAY**

"Dr. Cole didn't come today." Lauren muttered to the nurse.

"Well honey, I don't think you've been good enough to see him. You haven't been taking your pills."

"The pills don't do anything to me. They make me feel sleepy, and they slur my words, but they don't do anything for me. Unless you want me to be a vegetable. Then you're doing your job great, keep up the good work." She said.

The nurse sighed and placed the thing of pills near the bedside table

"I'll be back around 10 tomorrow morning. Keep up the good work."

As the nurse left, Lauren pulled the covers over her.

She closed her eyes and dreamt of the good old days with the Man with the Singsong voice and the Welsh Girl...

She was sad because she used to dream

She didn't notice the Door opening, and The Lady in Black walking up behind her.

"Hello sweetie." The welsh voice took her by surprised.

She smiled when she realized who it was.

This was going to be great.

"So." Lauren said, turning over to face Gwen, "how are you going to get me out of this nuthouse?"

Gwen placed the sunglasses over her face

"Ready when you are Dr. Song."

_Yep. This is gonna be fun..._


End file.
